High efficiency integrated heat engine (heihe)

Abstract

The present invention is a High Efficient Integrated Heat Engine, or HEIHE for short. HEIHE is a reciprocal combustion engine integrated with both compound cycle and combined cycle. HEIHE comprises twin compound cylinder structure, with the first cylinder being the primary combustion and/or expansion cylinder; the second cylinder being the secondary combustion and/or expansion cylinder. Power strokes driven by expansions of different working fluids such as air-fuel combustion products, steam and compressed air, are integrated into one engine block. Twin cylinder structure provides compound expansions of three (3) different fluids as to recover the energies that would be lost with the exhaust fluids or during braking. All of these make HEIHE work around six (6) periods with twelve (12) operation strokes. Among six (6) working periods involved, four (4) periods contain four (4) different power strokes but only one of the power strokes consumes the fuel. Thus the fuel conversion efficiency could be greatly increased, or even be doubled comparing with the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE).